Economic Partnership Agreements and African Agriculture

from Eldis

Here is a link to a document that studies how the recent economic partnership agreements made between Africa and Europe can help African Farming. Some of the findings are listed below. - Kale

* African agriculture suffers from a lack of funding and low yields. Agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is declining, thereby threatening food security and tearing at the social fabric in both rural and urban areas. In this context, a new framework for economic and trade cooperation like the EPAs could help strengthen the agricultural sector of sub-Saharan Africa

* even by recognising that EPAs will never be able to solve all the problems of African agriculture, intervention and cooperation must be based on four main points: support for the implementation of a proactive agricultural policy, regional integration, diversification of production and better access to markets, and measures to accompany and facilitate adjustment

* a major part of the added value of EPAs will fall under development aid and not trade. This underlines the importance of greater clarity regarding the mechanisms the European Commission and the EU member states will use to provide development aid and support the implementation of EPAs. It is argued that EPA negotiations must be approached in a spirit of actual partnership, leaving strictly commercial interests to one side.

Link to full article. May expire in future.